Monday, January 10, 2011

Dear Comic Art Fan,

Tomorrow is the release of The Green Hornet feature film with comedian Seth Rogen in the title role. I saw an advance screening and it's very much his movie in tone and dialogue (Rogen also co-wrote the script). There are several homages to the classic 60s series which established Kato (played by the legendary Bruce Lee) as the sidekick stealing the spotlight from the titular hero. In honor of the movie the first monthly sketchbook to kick off the new year is dedicated to Green Hornet & Kato and all serial heroes. Fun fact: In continuity The Lone Ranger (Dan Reid) was the uncle of the original Green Hornet (Britt Reid).

Well, there’s really not much to tell. I was born, grew a little bigger (but not much), went to school, learned to read and write, got older and started growing hair in strange places, and began a series of jobs that landed me in my current position at the local School District. In the middle of all that, I discovered comics and fell in love. Many years later, I discovered original art and fell in love even harder. If you want more boring details of my life, feel free to visit my gallery and click on my About Me page!

2. Which piece in your gallery is your favorite and why?

Hmm, well, as with many of my fellow collectors I’m sure, it’s probably almost impossible to narrow it down to ONE single favorite. But since I’ve gone on record as saying that the one piece I would save if my house were burning down is my P. Craig Russell Scarlet Witch poster, then I guess I’ll just leave it at that. But in all honestly, I can probably pull out at least 20 or more pieces that I love just as much!

3. How long have you been collecting art and what prompted you to start?

I think I bought my first sketch back in 1980 or ‘81. It was some John Byrne pencil drawing that was hanging on the wall of my local shop. I thought it was pretty cool, but I had no idea why it was so expensive. I honestly don’t even know why I bought it or even what I was actually buying! That was the beginning of two or three years of fumbling around with the hobby. As such, I didn’t consider myself a serious art collector until about 1983 or ‘84. That’s really when I began to actively pursue pieces via mail catalogs and conventions. And although the internet has made pretty much every art dealer and/or collector accessible to me, conventions are still my favorite way to buy art. In person when the art and money change hands at the exact same time with no waiting for funds to clear or packages to ship!

4. How do you display/store your collection at home?

Maybe a dozen pieces are in frames, BUT not hanging on the wall (go figure). The rest are in various size mylars and portfolios. Pretty basic. I know storage conditions are important, but as a man with very limited funds, it’s always been hard for me to justify those costs because every single dollar spent there is one less dollar I have to spend towards art.

5. What are your top five most wanted pages or commissions?

Well, if the sky’s the limit, then there’s also no limit to how many ways I can answer this question. If money were not an issue, there’s no end to the list of pieces I would want. But to keep it simple and quick, let’s say a classic piece from and by one of each of The Studio masters, Barry Smith, Bernie Wrightson, Mike Kaluta, and Jeff Jones. And to top it off, maybe a decent Frazetta!